Monday, October 29, 2012

As much as I whine about the cold weather, when you look at the Soup, Stew, and Chili section of my recipe archives you can tell I love cold-weather dishes, especially soup. Some of my favorite soups are the ones where I start with an idea and add things until it tastes good, but even when I have a recipe to start with like I did this time, I tend to improvise with most of the soups I make. This slow cooker soup that can cook all day while you're at work was adapted from one I saw in The Italian Slow Cooker, a book that's loaded with good ideas. I increased the amount of stock (and might use even more next time), added some dried Italian herbs, and served the soup with shaved Parmesan Cheese instead of croutons, for a Phase One soup that was warm and filling, and loaded with flavor.

I used chicken stock because that's what I had in the freezer, but if you used vegetable stock and skipped the Parmesan, this would be a tasty vegan slow cooker soup. If you're not making a vegan version, this is the perfect soup to add some Parmesan rinds and let them melt into the soup while it cooks all day. If it's soup weather where you are, this soup would make a perfect Meatless Monday dinner! (You can find more meatless recipes by using the label Meatless Monday or checking Vegetarian Recipes in the recipe index, and I'm also doing a meatless slow cooker recipe each Monday on Slow Cooker from Scratch. For more Meatless Monday ideas from other bloggers check Meatless Monday at BlogHer, where I write a weekly post spotlighting one of the fabulous meatless recipe ideas I find around the web or visit my Meatless Monday Pinterest board.)

I know some of you hate to have to saute things for the slow cooker, but I promise that sauteeing the onions and garlic with the Italian Seasoning for a few minutes really does increase the flavor. (If you skip that step, I promise I won't take it personally!)

I used the bowl attachment of my immersion blender to coarsely puree the 2 cans of Cannellini beans, but after I wondered why I didn't just puree them in the slow cooker with the immersion blender. You can also use a blender or food processor.

Finely chop 8 oz. kale leaves and give them a wash in the salad spinner if you're using garden kale.

I used fresh sage leaves from my garden, but dried sage would also work.

Put the sauteed onion mixture, pureed beans, 1 can tomatoes with juice, stock or broth, chopped kale, and sage leaves into the slow cooker (with Parmesan rinds if using) and cook about 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.

The soup that won't win any beauty contests, but it was delicious! (Next time I might add one more cup of stock for a slightly thinner soup.)

Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan; add the onions and cook 4-5 minutes or until they are just starting to brown. Add the garlic and Italian Seasoning and saute 1-2 minutes more, being careful not to let the garlic brown. Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray; then put onions and garlic into the slow cooker.

While the onions are cooking use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the cannellini beans and juice, keeping them a little chunky if you prefer. (If you're using freshly-cooked beans I would add about 1/4 cup water.) Finely chop the kale (cutting away thick center ribs if you have them) and wash kale in the salad spinner if you're using garden kale.

Put the pureed beans, chopped kale, chicken or vegetable stock, canned tomatoes and juice, and sage leaves (or dried sage) into the slow cooker with the onion mixture. (Add one or two pieces of Parmesan rind if desired for extra flavor.) Cook 4 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. Serve the soup hot, with strips of Parmesan shaved over if desired.

This soup will keep for at least a week in the fridge, and it freezes well.

Even though they are a low-glycemic ingredients, dried beans are a limited food for Phase One of the South Beach Diet, but in a soup like this with lots of other ingredients you can have a normal serving, even for Phase One.

Nutritional Information?

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

I know exactly what you mean about the cold weather. When I lived in Canada I used to complain about how cold it got. But now that I'm in Florida, I sure do miss the excuse of cold weather to make all those soups and stews. This one sounds especially wonderful. I love kale and parmesan together.

I do like sauteeing my base vegetables before putting them in the crockpot - I think it definitely is worth it for extra depth in crockpot recipes. I also love using Parmesan rinds in soups - first of all, because I don't like throwing food out, and second of all, because it adds so much flavor.

After smelling this in your kitchen I made a version this weekend! I added some sweet Italian sausage so mine was less healthy but delicious never the less! I'll try this one next time.... oh and I'll have to drop by for more kale ;)

I have a confession to make: I had never eaten kale before I saw it on your blog. You gave me the courage back then to try that weird looking tough green stuff in the produce department. You still inspire me today - this looks like a winner!

This recipe (like all of yours!) is excellent! I make a pot full on the weekend and eat on it all week at work! I teach school so time to fix lunch is limited and this is a wonderful solution, I have shared this, and your site with several of my co-workers! Thanks!

I love your blog and recipes. I'm always excited each day to see what's new. I would like to try this recipe but I'm not a fan of tomatoes. Can I leave them out? Should I substitute something else? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!!

Thanks Nicola. I'm not completely sure how this would work without tomatoes since I haven't tried it, but I think you could make it work. You would need to add more liquid, and maybe substitute another types of vegetable like green bell pepper or red bell pepper, if that sounds good to you.

I was looking for a warming soup when we had a sudden drop in temperature. I found this and hadall the ingredients on hand. It was fantastic. I appreciate the tip on freezing it. I use your recipesmuch more often than I post. I love your blog.

I found this website through a buzzfeed post and now I'm a huge fan! I just used this recipe to make a very similar variation and we loved in my house!! I'm so pleased with how easy yet healthy and satisfying this soup was. I will definitely be making this again real soon.

Thanks for joining the conversation! I love hearing from readers and even though I can't always reply to every comment, I will always answer specific questions on a recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes I'm answering by iPhone, so my replies may be short!

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